When is Dessert OK? When it's For a Good Cause!

By the turn of the twenty-first century, the USDA recorded sixty-seven pounds of sugar from sugar cane and sugar beets, eighty-six pounds of sugar from corn sweeteners, and one pound of other natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup were delivered (per capita) into the American food supply.

That adds up to a total carbohydrate sweetener availability of around 154 pounds per person.
In November 2003, a review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined evidence from multiple studies on high fructose corn syrup. The researchers concluded that large quantities of fructose from a variety of sources, including table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup:

• Induce insulin resistance


• Impair glucose tolerance


• Produce high levels of insulin


• Boost a dangerous type of fat in the blood


• Cause high blood pressure in animals

Given all this, does the indiscriminate practice of eating dessert make sense to you? It doesn't make sense to me.

What does make sense to me is being discriminating when it comes to eating dessert.

Only eat desserts that you love, not any dessert that happens to pass by you.
Eat dessert when it's for an important occasion, not every day.
Eat dessert when it's for a good cause, like the link below will show you...

http://www.makeawishbc.ca/index.php?option=com_mawnews&Itemid=55&id=11&PHPSESSID=ae193ba05c7477e0def03dc431bb2d05
Today is April 20th. May I suggest a challenge to you, dear readers?

Do not eat any dessert for these next 11 days - a dessert fast, if you will.

Then, on May 1st, enjoy your dessert for a good cause. Help the Make A Wish Foundation continue to make wishes come true.

Then, on May 2nd, spend an extra 30 minutes on the elliptical! With a clear conscience!

Ref: http://www.splendaexposed.com/
Ref: http://www.sugar.org/

Take the 90-Day Challenge!

After weeks of teasing, Spring finally arrived yesterday in Vancouver, BC. The high was somewhere between 17 and 20 which, for our American friends, translates to about 65 to 72!

Now while that doesn't compare to Rancho Cucamonga, CA, where I understand it reached about 90 (which, for our Canadian friends, translates to about 30), hey, this is the California of Canada here in the West Coast of BC!

But what does the weather have to do with this blog post, you're asking?

The most important aspect of yesterday's lovely weather was the outfit I got to wear...a wrap skirt, halter top, and sandals. Are you following my drift?

Yes, I finally got to shed the jeans, the boots, and the long-sleeved sweater topped with a vest. I got to feel the warm sun on my bare arms, and my legs got a kiss of sunshine, every time my wrap skirt was touched by the breeze.

While I look forward to this time of year with great anticipation, I am aware of another feeling that used to coincide with it...the dread of exposing a body that was out-of-shape, a body I was embarassed to see in the mirror.

Prior to successfully completing the 90-Day Challenge 3 years ago, the conflict between excitement and dread was with me daily, as winter passed by. This is a familiar and painful refrain from women everywhere.

And I have the antidote for you!

Join the excitement and take the Body Wise 90-Day Transformation Challenge. Let's you and I spend the next 90 days together. With your sincere effort, and my fabulous coaching (shameless self-promotion), I know that you can do something great for yourself.

If you live anywhere in North America and would like to lose at least 20 pounds before the summer is behind you, I challenge you...take the 90-Day Challenge and watch the pounds melt away. This program is effective, affordable, and safe. Eat real food, take your vitamins, move your body, talk to your coach - it's that simple. Maybe not easy, but simple. Follow a path that's been laid out for you. It works! I can attest to that!

How do you get started? Two ways... a) Send me an e-mail to let me know you want to do this, and I'll send you a reply with the entry form attached, or b) send me an e-mail, then go to the link and download the entry form yourself. Follow steps 1, 2, and 3. I will phone you, wherever you are in the US or Canada, and together we'll complete step 4. We'll discuss steps 5 and 6 in 90 days. That's all there is to getting started.

http://www.bodywise.com/corporate/business/elance-challenge.php

Go to Get started today and "click here for an application" ...and you're on your way!

Your summer-ready body awaits you! Remember, I Did It, So Can You! Take your initiative, follow my lead, and have the Summer of 2008 be the year that you put weight, as an issue, behind you. This year, enjoy those shorts and t-shirts with pride!

Liquid Calories...Should You or Shouldn't You?

Today I'd like to talk about the protein shake as a preferred choice for breakfast.

Other beverage options: cow's milk, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, fresh-squeezed juice, tetra-pak juices, and refrigerated juices.

Clearly there are many beverage choices for the average breakfast-eater (and this is not a post about the benefits of breakfast, although it may sound a bit like one...).

I'm not going to talk about the benefits of or the detrimental effects of drinking coffee or tea here. Nearly 52% of North Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee every day. And in the US alone, there will be approximately 50,000+ coffee shops by the year 2010. Suffice it to say that almost everyone's drinking a cup of coffee or tea in the morning.

Nor am I going to talk about drinking your 8+ glasses of water per day, which you already know I promote.

I'm going to stick with talking about the protein shake as a breakfast choice.

Why do you want to drink a protein shake in the morning?

Well, you've just worked out. You're feeling pretty depleted and hopefully somewhat exhausted - you just gave yourself a really good workout, you're feeling proud of yourself, and you want to reward yourself for a job well done. You hit the shower, scrub up, and start scrounging in the kitchen for something to fill up with.

Increasing your muscle mass, even if you're not trying to be a body-builder, is very important as you age. If you do nothing to preserve your muscle mass, by age 50 you will have lost about 10% of it.

This is the best reason to choose a protein shake, over any of the other beverages on the list. The other beverages have mostly carbs and fat to offer you, which you hear enough about - that there are too many carbs and fats consumed in the average diet.

The following links will take you to two of the many experts that I follow, when making my program recommendations. Working out, without combining that effort with proper nourishment, is basically wasting your time.

Your protein shake offers a tasty, healthy, filling breakfast choice. It replenishes your system with the nutrients it needs to maintain and build lean muscle mass, also referred to as your fat-free mass. Send an e-mail with your mailing address to bsinclaircoaching@hotmail.com and I will mail you a sample packet of the Body Wise protein, either in chocolate or vanilla.

Throw 2 scoops in the blender (that's what's in the packet) with 1/2 c. of your favorite fresh or frozen fruit. Add water, rice milk, or almond milk up to the 1 1/2 c. mark, and you're on your way. Start your day right with a delicious protein shake, compliments of Billie Sinclair!

Or, if your goal is to increase muscle mass in a bigger way, and you're working out with heavy weights, follow Rico's advice and load up your post-workout shake. Enjoy the following links and have a healthy, happy, and youthful day! I look forward to your e-mails!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5yf9FnVwP8

http://burnthefat.com/affiliate_area/liquid_calories.html

Please make a special note of Tom's comments: "After weight training workouts, liquid nutrition may have benefits that outweigh any downside, especially on muscle-gaining programs..."

How to Feel Like a Million Bucks$$$

You know the routine...you tell yourself, "Tomorrow, I'm going to start that exercise program." or "Tomorrow I'm going to start following that eating plan, and getting healthier." Only tomorrow comes, life gets in the way, and tomorrow goes.

That's how to feel like crap - beating yourself up one more time...

Try this on for size:

Tell yourself, "Tomorrow I'm going to get out and run around the block." Then do it.

But, it'll only take me 5 minutes, you say. So what, work out for 5 minutes.

Or, if you're enjoying yourself so much, stay out there for 10 minutes. If you're hating every step, how long can 5 minutes be?

The important thing is, you did it - you said what you were going to do, and you did it! You didn't listen to your rationalizations, your excuses, or your tired body begging you to stay in bed just a few more minutes. You didn't hear the phone ringing, you didn't pay attention to the e-mails calling, and you didn't listen to the TV beckoning you.

You said you were going to go and run around the block, and you did it.

Guess what? When you get in the shower, you're going to feel like a million bucks! I'm telling you!

Now, I tell my clients, how you see success is, you have one good day, and you follow it with another good day, and you follow that one with another good day.

Of course, setbacks will happen to the best of us, but don't let them stop you cold. In the infamous words of Robert Schuller, and his Possibility Thinker's Creed:

"When faced with a mountain, I will not quit! I will keep striving until I climb over, find a pass through, tunnel underneath, or simply stay...and turn the mountain into a miracle..."

Now off you go, and make plans to feel like a million bucks tomorrow!